Of course, this past week the real reality shows took over our televisions. Three actual celebrities dying within a week will do that. You will note that none of the three — Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson — got their starts in the reality television genre.
However, Ed McMahon played his own role in reality television back when talent contests were considered … well, talent contests. Perhaps they were variety shows. Nowadays, they’re all under the reality TV umbrella. Pre-dating America’s Got Talent, American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance, we had Star Search with Ed McMahon. Hi-ho.
That was the week it was
Yes, I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here is over! Amidst the pseudo-celebrities, the only real celebrity just happened to win — Lou Diamond Phillips. Now, he hasn’t done much lately, I’ll admit. But at least he had some well-received movie roles in the past. Oh, we had the Lesser and Greater Baldwins, too. The show was like watching a train wreck or ogling a car accident. You don’t want to watch. You feel like slime for looking. But morbid curiosity keeps calling you into the world of madness.
It’s no wonder they didn’t have real celebrities on the show. Those “trials” were both disgusting and, it seems to me, very dangerous. Real rat bites? Crocodiles, albeit small ones? Tarantulas and snakes, oh my. I can only wonder if the next installment of the series will have pseudo-celebs — oh, maybe MC Hammer, Vanilla Ice, CarrotTop and that ilk — stuck in a rundown tenement in Camden, New Jersey. I can see it now …
MC Hammer: “Don’t mug me! I can dance! I have funny pants!”
At least we had the start of America’s Got Talent this past week. While in its audition phase, there are many acts which really needn’t be on national television. But there are some gems, as well. Jerry Springer is no longer the host, although he wasn’t so Springer Show-esque when he hosted the show anyway. In his place is Nick Cannon, who can be very entertaining. Piers Morgan, Sharon Osbourne and David Hasselhoff are back at the judges podium. Let’s see some talent.
The competition is heating up on So You Think You Can Dance as we’re down to eight couples this week. Oddly enough, I think the performances on the first show were better than the quality we saw the following two weeks. I doubt my own favorite dancer on the show, Phillip Chbeeb, will make it through to the end. He’ll probably have fan votes and be able to “dance for his life” successfully with his own style. But I see that he’s having problems with picking up other styles. But, dang … I love to watch him dance.
Not the best of weeks, but soon we’ll have Big Brother 11. Yes!
Clacked by Jackie Schnoop 
on Jun 29, 2009 @ 13:00 EST5EDT
